Productivity Board Programs
Do you have a great idea that could save the state money or generate new revenue? The Productivity Board is an employee suggestion program for Washington State public employees that provides cash awards for great ideas that save money or generate new revenue. We encourage employee engagement and provide a neutral platform and board oversight to ensure eligible suggestions receive a fair evaluation. Get to know our programs, find out if your idea is eligible, and learn how to submit an idea.
How it works
Eligible state workers or teams can apply for awards through the Employee Suggestion Program or the Teamwork Incentive Program.
Employee suggestions are reviewed by the agency(s) that they affect, and the agency’s recommendation is then reviewed by a nine-member independent Board.
Teamwork projects and awards are approved by the agency(s) they affect.
Awards are made from the cost savings that result from implementing the idea or project.
Who should apply
- The Employee Suggestion Program is for state employees or small teams with ideas for improvement that have not yet been implemented.
- The Teamwork Incentive Program is for teams of state employees whose projects create measurable savings or generate revenue.
- Applicant eligibility
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The following employees may submit suggestions or participate on team projects:
- Current employees of Washington State agencies
- Current employees of Washington State higher education institutions
The following individuals are not eligible to participate:
- Elected officials
- Agency heads
- Confidential secretaries or administrative assistants to agency heads
Check if your idea or project is eligible
Review the suggestion requirements to see if your idea or project qualifies.
- Employee Suggestion Program eligibility criteria
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- Must be a new idea – the idea has not already been discussed, developed, or implemented by the benefiting agency.
- The idea is not part of the employee’s regular job responsibilities.
- The employee does not already have authority to implement the idea independently.
- The idea was not assigned to the employee as part of their work duties.
- Practical and feasible – the idea is realistic and can be reasonably implemented.
- Includes research that demonstrates the idea is practical.
- Teamwork Incentive Program eligibility criteria
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- Implementation of a cost saving or revenue generating project completed by a team of state employees.
- Results in cost savings or revenue generation.
- Includes measurable and verifiable performance indicators.
- Agency-supported – reviewed and authorized by agency management.
Submit your suggestion to the Productivity Board
Submissions are made through the Productivity Board suggestion portal. State employees whose agencies are on the WaTech shared tenant can sign in using their work credentials. Some users may need to create a WA.gov account, which is replacing SecureAccess Washington (SAW).
- Employee Suggestion Program applications must be submitted before the idea becomes fully operational.
- Teamwork Incentive Program applications may be submitted before or up to one year after project implementation.
Employee Suggestion Program Evaluation process
The agency(s) affected by the suggestion coordinator assigns a subject matter expert to evaluate the suggestion.
The evaluator has 45 days to review the suggestion and recommend one of the following:
- Adopt
- Modified Adopt
- Non-Adopt
The agency may recommend that the idea be put “on hold” if they lack the resources to implement the idea currently and would like to implement it in the future.
Board review
The Productivity Board reviews the agencies’ recommendations at a quarterly meeting. The Board makes the final determination on whether an award will be granted and the amount of the award.
Awards and recognition
If approved, the suggesters or team may receive an award based on verified savings or revenue.
- Employee Suggestion Program awards
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For suggestions with measurable savings or revenue, awards shall be up to 10% of the first year’s verified savings or revenue. If the suggestion is submitted by more than one person, the award will be split evenly among suggesters.
- Teamwork Incentive Program awards
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Awards may be up to 25% of verified net savings or revenue generated during the project period, capped at $10,000 per team member. Project periods can be up to one year.